Re: CULT:Alfalfa pellets vs cubes vs rabbit pellets

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Hi, Everybody, May I add my 2-cents to the debate of rabbit vs horse "feed" ? 
 Many years ago, begins the usual tale, when Terry Aitken's article appeared 
in the MEDIANITE (one of our best publications, even if you don't grow many 
medians  {and you should, just for variety, says grandma!}, I told all my 
iris friends in the wide area around here.  One of them had left-over rabbit 
food (the rabbit had gone to rabbit-heaven) and she used that up. Because of  
years of associating with my scientific-minded husband, I called the 
manufacturer about the relative merits of the two feeds.  He very thoroly 
explained that the alfa-bits or alfalfa-bits for horses would be better for 
plants - and as anotther science-minded friend pointed out that farmers till 
alfalfa into their fields to enrich the soil - SO, John is so right that the 
horse feed is far superior - it really works wonders and a feed store is the 
cheapest and best place to find it AND it  costs less than fertilizer, not 
that I mean to say to give up on fertilizer.  It comes as a powder, which 
some prefer,  I don't like to get it breezed onto my shoes!   It also comes 
in large lumps, which I don't like because it takes too long to break down -- 
and if you put it on the surface, it makes a nauseating mess when it rains..  
The ideal is/are the pellets, about the size of the eraser at the end of a 
pencil. As Goldilocks would say "they are just right!"

When re-making a bed, I'm very generous with it,(7' x 30'??) spread 2 bags 
before plowing along with horse manure (guess that could be second-hand 
alfalfa-bits sometimes, depending on what the horse is fed!)  "some" 
peatmoss, "some fertilizer etc. etc,  purely empirical, sort of by gosh, by 
golly, whatever is around, but ALWAYS alfalfabits.   When  planting an iris 
here and there, first dig the hole, sprinkle in the "goodies" (a lttle 
peatmoss, a little fertilizer, and some pellets all mixed together) "scrunch 
it all around with the soil, add a  little water, let it soak thru, plant the 
iris, water again - Voila!
 That works for me,  just pick out of this what you want and what would work 
for your climate, soil, energy, etc.      Rosalie nr Baltimore,USA  zone 7, 
sometimes 6ish.  ryfigge@aol.com
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